It began with a dream.
Cael stood in a vast white space — empty, silent, endless. No sky, no ground. Just void stretching in every direction.
Then a voice echoed.
"Designation: Cael Dray. Initialization: 13%... 17%... 21%..."
He turned, trying to find the source, but there was nothing. Only flickering lines of light spiraling upward like veins of fire.
"Soulframe Protocol syncing with host... Compatibility: Stable."
The voice wasn't human. It was layered — distant, mechanical, yet oddly calm. Like it had spoken those words thousands of times before.
Cael opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
"Core Memory Fragments: Locked. Awakening... Delayed."
Suddenly the white void cracked like glass. From those fractures came visions — fire, screaming, red skies. His mother, bloodied. His father reaching out. A massive shadow looming overhead. Then, a pulse of dark energy erupting from his own body, swallowing it all.
And then—
He woke up.
Cael bolted upright in bed, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat. Morning sunlight streamed through the wooden shutters, but it felt cold. Too quiet.
He clutched his chest. The dream was already fading, like smoke between fingers... but something lingered. Not fear, but... pressure. Like something had settled deep inside his bones.
He looked at his hand. It was shaking.
He didn't tell anyone.
Not over breakfast, not while sweeping the porch, not even when Lira came knocking with her usual grin and reckless energy.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," she said, eyeing him.
"Didn't sleep well," he mumbled.
They spent the morning playing, but Cael was distracted. Something was off.
And later that day, he noticed it in his mother too.
Seris was sharper than usual during training. Her strikes were faster, her voice more clipped. She corrected him harshly, sometimes even when he hadn't made a mistake.
When he stumbled and scraped his knee, she didn't flinch. Normally, she'd crouch down and ruffle his hair. Today, she simply said, "Stand. Again."
Cael obeyed but said nothing.
That night, after dinner, the tension hadn't faded. The air in the house felt heavier.
Cael sat outside, watching the stars. He heard the door creak, and Seris sat beside him, silent for a long time.
Then she spoke. "You dreamed something, didn't you?"
His head snapped toward her. "How... did you know?"
Seris didn't answer right away. Her golden eyes stared into the woods, unreadable. "I've been waiting for it to happen."
Cael's heart pounded. "What was it? That voice... that name... Soulframe?"
She nodded slowly. "You don't need to understand yet. But you will. In time."
"That's what it said. Something about a... system."
Her jaw tightened, and her voice dropped lower. "It's a power that chooses its host. A curse, some would say. A legacy, others. Either way, it changes everything."
Cael's throat felt dry. "Am I... going to become a monster?"
She looked at him sharply. "No. Not unless you choose to become one."
He didn't understand. None of it made sense.
Before he could ask more, she stood and ruffled his hair gently. "No more questions tonight. Rest. Play while you still can."
And just like that, she left him under the stars.
The next morning, Lira found him waiting near the forest edge.
She raised a brow. "You're early for once."
"I had a weird night," he replied, forcing a smile.
"Still thinking about your dream?"
Cael froze. "...How did you know?"
Lira shrugged. "You talk in your sleep."
He groaned.
They walked deeper into the trees, retracing the paths they'd made over years of exploring. The forest was their sanctuary, untouched by the worries of adults or strange systems.
They talked about everything — their future, made-up stories, stupid jokes — but eventually, the topic came back to the dream.
Cael hesitated, then said, "Lira... what if I'm not normal?"
"You've never been normal," she laughed. "You sleep with your mouth open."
"I'm serious."
Lira stopped walking and looked at him.
"Hey. I don't care what's inside you or what dreams you have. You're still you."
Cael felt something heavy ease in his chest.
But then — the ground shook.
A rumble echoed through the trees. Birds scattered. A thick black smoke began to rise in the distance — from the direction of the village.
"Cael... is that—?"
"Smoke!"
They ran.
Branches whipped past their faces as they sprinted through the forest. As they broke the tree line, the sight hit them like a hammer to the chest.
The village was on fire.
Houses burned. Screams filled the air. Shadows with claws and horns moved through the flames. Demons—dozens of them—ravaging everything.
Cael yanked Lira behind a stone wall near the bakery.
"We need to find our parents," he said, voice trembling.
They crawled through alleys, avoiding the chaos, hiding from beasts that tore villagers apart.
And then—
"Cael!"
His mother's voice. She leapt through a burning doorway, sword drawn, slashing through two demons in a flash. Theren followed behind, healing light flowing from his palms as he helped a wounded man stand.
"Mom! Dad!" Cael shouted, bolting toward them with Lira close behind.
They reached them—but then something moved in the shadows.
A demon lunged from behind, blade raised.
"Cael! Behind you!" Lira screamed.
Seris turned—
SHHHHK!
The blade pierced through her back.
"NO!!" Cael screamed.
Theren caught her as she fell. "Hold on!" he whispered, hands glowing.
But another shadow loomed — larger. A high demon, horned and grinning, dropped down from above.
Theren turned just in time to see the fanged mouth open wide.
"Theren—!"
The healer was devoured whole, swallowed by black flame and teeth.
Cael fell to his knees, vision blurring, heart shattering.
The system flickered to life in his mind.
[Soulframe Protocol: Emergency Trigger — 50%... 70%... 85%...]
His mother's bloody hand reached for his cheek.
"Don't be like him... Promise me..."
He couldn't speak. Couldn't move.
Lira stood, grabbed a nearby shard of wood, and screamed as she charged at the demons.
One turned — and ripped her in half with a single swipe.
[100% Sync Achieved.]
Initiating Core Response...]
Cael screamed.
His body burst with dark fire. His veins glowed. The black crystal embedded in his chest erupted with energy.
The demons turned—
The village froze—
And then it burned.
In seconds, the entire village vanished in a vortex of black flames.